CD Reviews

Hutch's Other Great Live Set

David | Ashland, MA USA | 08/15/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"And I thought "Live At Montreux" had no competition! This set from December of 1986, recorded 13 years after Montreux, is simply amazing. Great selection of standards plus one of Hutcherson's own, the closing "I Wanna Stand Over There".The band is a real class act. Kenny Barron is a great pianist in his own right, and makes a wonderful counterpoint to Hutcherson on all tracks. Buster Williams grounds every song wonderfully in his thick yet thoughtful bass notes, and Al Foster (who always played amazingly on Miles Davis' last segment of records as well as on a number of Joe Henderson's later records) does a fine job of creating the necessary driving exuberance needed on the upbeat tracks and the soft touches required on the more mellow tunes."Little Niles" is a great opener; gets the recording off on a bouncy, melodic note. Hutcherson's take on Thelonious Monk's "Well, You Needn't" is fabulous.A quick note about the recording -- not sure of what technical modifications were made, but the entire album REALLY sounds like it is happening LIVE in your own living room (or car). Many live albums sound far away and just like, well, an album. But it is probably here where I would say this recording surpasses the Montreux recording, in terms of having that live feel. Of course, Montreux is a concert hall and the Vanguard is a small club, but still, it makes a difference."Some Day My Prince Will Come" gets a wonderful take, and even though I thought I might find myself yawning on "Witchcraft", I was pleasantly surprised at their version -- upbeat & you find yourself humming along with it about 30 seconds into it.A fabulous live set and a truly classic Hutcherson album. If you have any inclination to buy a Hutcherson record, you definitely cannot go wrong with this one. Kudos to 32Jazz for re-releasing this out-of-print masterpiece. Highly recommended."

Masters At Work In The Vangaurd

Gerald L. Krug | Wauwatosa, WI USA | 01/04/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Bobby Hutcherson started his career in the late 1960s as a card-carrying member of the Blue Note avante-garde club, playing (then) cutting edge sessions with Tony Williams, Jackie McLean, and Andrew Hill as well as his own sessions. As time passed, he rejoined the mainstream. Renowned producer and executive Orrin Keepnews grabbed him for his Landmark label during the 1980s, where Mr. Hutcherson was presented in various formats with outstanding bands. For this session, the eminent Kenny Barron joins Mr. Hutcherson in an outstanding live session at New York's most famous club. Hutcherson and producer Keepnews focused on the great rapport of this group, selecting compositions which encouraged the resulting group dynamics. The opening track "Little Niles" burns from the first note, with Bobby and Mr. Barron swinging hard, propelled by drummer Al Foster's sure groove. There's no let-up in quality or group dynamics the rest of the way. The engineering is so real that you'd swear you were there.Out of my 1000+ collection of jazz sessions, this is top 5%."

F-a-b-u-l-o-u-s

Gerald L. Krug | 02/20/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"An outright crime that this title is not available. We need a 20-bit mastering for the master himself living on the northern california coast."